“We have tons of geothermal, but it’s out in the middle of nowhere.”
Alaska’s got an energy problem, but it’s not what you might think. Yes, prices are high and the oil isn’t coming any faster out of the North Slope.
Maybe it’s time to think outside the Oil Patch.
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| Mount Cleveland, Mount Carlisle and Herbert Volcano are examples of potential geothermal energy opportunities in Alaska located far from population centers. (Courtesy Fairbanks Daily News-Miner) |
“Alaska is the land of opportunities, particularly for renewable energy,” said Jason Meyer, Emerging Energy Technology program manager for the Alaska Center for Energy and Power. “Why aren’t we capitalizing on these? What are the challenges and opportunities?”
The answer is “heinously complicated,” Meyer said. He and Brian Hirsch of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will discuss “Alaska’s Stranded Renewable Resources” on Tuesday at The Blue Loon for the ACEP Community Energy Lecture.
Alaska’s problem is one of too many possibilities. The state has tremendous potential for geothermal, wind, hydro, ocean power and biomass-driven energy, Meyer said.
A significant barrier is that many of the state’s renewable energy resources are located far from population centers and transportation corridors and are considered “stranded.” Even if small localized energy sources aren’t necessarily stranded, they still might not be feasible because of economies of scale, “where a local community is just too small to develop a geothermal energy source.”
ACEP and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory collaborated on a report to identify the benefits of these resources and how they can be used. Key parts of the framework are transportation as an opportunity, including increased Arctic shipping as polar ice melts; developing place-based industry and new technology.
A lot of the discussion arises from what Iceland and Norway have been doing. Both are countries that are perceived to have similar resources and economies of scale as Alaska.
“What about high-voltage direct current, which Norway is doing very successfully?” Meyer said. “It’s really what started this conversation: What’s the reality in terms of life in Alaska?
“We have tons of geothermal, but it’s out in the middle of nowhere.”
Energy Experts to Discuss Alaska’s ‘Stranded’ Renewable Resources (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
